World News
While it’s ‘America First’ for we patriots we still cannot take our eye off world events.
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Hungary withdraws from International Criminal Court during Netanyahu visit
Barbara Tasch & Anna Holligan – BBC
Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), its government has announced.
A senior official in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government confirmed this hours after Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is sought under an ICC arrest warrant, arrived in Hungary for a state visit.
Orban had invited Netanyahu as soon as the warrant was issued last November, saying the ruling would have “no effect” in his country.
In November, ICC judges said there were “reasonable grounds” that Netanyahu bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu has condemned the ICC’s decision as “antisemitic”.
The ICC, a global court, has the authority to prosecute those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read more here.
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Deadly strikes in Gaza as Israel expands offensive to seize ‘large areas’
Rachel Hagan and Yolande Knell – BBC
Deadly Israeli air strikes have been reported in Gaza, as Israel’s defence minister said its military would expand its offensive and seize large areas of the Palestinian territory – incorporating them into what he described as “security zones”.
Israel Katz said the expanded operation aimed to “destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure”, and would require a large-scale evacuation of Palestinians.
Later, at least 19 Palestinians, including nine children, were killed in a strike on a UN clinic sheltering displaced families in the northern town of Jabalia, the nearby Indonesian hospital said.
The Israeli military said it targeted “Hamas terrorists” hiding there.
Overnight strikes across Gaza killed at least 20 more people, according to local hospitals.
The Civil Defence said its first responders recovered the bodies of 12 people, including children and women, from a home in the southern Khan Younis area. Read more here.
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Israel orders evacuation of southern Gaza city of Rafah
David Gritten – BBC
The Israeli military has issued a sweeping new evacuation order for the southern Gaza Strip – the biggest since its offensive in the Palestinian territory resumed earlier this month.
The military instructed residents of the city of Rafah and parts of neighbouring Khan Younis to leave immediately for the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, warning that its forces were “returning to intense operations to dismantle the capabilities of the terrorist organisations” in the areas.
Palestinians who had returned to their homes in Rafah during the recent two-month-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are now starting to flee.
About a fifth of Gaza is now covered by evacuation orders.
The UN human rights office warned last week that the evacuations failed to comply with the requirements of international law, accusing Israel of not taking any measures to provide accommodation for those affected or ensuring satisfactory…Read more here.
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Decision day in court for Marine Le Pen’s French presidential hopes
Hugh Schofield – BBC
France’s Marine Le Pen faces a make-or-break moment on Monday, as a judge rules on whether she should be banned from the next presidential election.
The far-right leader, who is ahead of all her rivals in the 2027 race, will be in court at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) for the verdict of a party-funding trial targeting her National Rally (RN) party.
At the trial’s conclusion in November, the state prosecutor demanded guilty verdicts for Le Pen and 24 others accused of using EU parliamentary money to pay party salaries.
But to general surprise the prosecutor also said that Le Pen’s punishment should be not just a €300,000 (£250,000) fine and prison term, but also ineligibility from running for public office for five years.
Crucially, he said the ineligibility should kick in straightaway – and not be…Read more here.
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